Girl with anxiety creates app to help herself and others

About the solution

Kelli was bullied and suffered from anxiety and depression, having also had suicidal thoughts. That’s what led her to come up with a solution.

“Because I was bullied so hard, my anxiety started getting a lot worse,” she said. “I didn’t want to do anything, I didn’t want to hang out with my friends, I didn’t want to meet new people because I thought they weren’t going to like me and I was going to have new bullies. It controlled my life”, she explained.

Having had the help of professionals, it took the girl a year to develop the app. It has eight self-help modules that include resources for dealing with anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

The app has videos that aim to help cope with anxiety, and it also features a section with several acts of kindness, displayed every day of the week.

“I found that when I compliment someone I notice how happy it can make them, and receiving a compliment always makes me happy,” she said.

The user can also use the app to create a diary and log how they’re feeling via a colour system.

Kelli’s aim is not only to help herself, but also other struggling with mental illness. She decided to create an app because it’s a way to get to everyone.

“Everyone my age has phones. Everyone has apps, (but) not a lot of people have a lot of resources or a lot of opportunities for counselling or psychiatrists. They aren’t really able to find those resources and many parents aren’t really educated on mental health”, Kelli observed.

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

About the author

Kelli Lemstra, born in Canada, in 2002, was a 16-year-old student when she created an app to help herself and others coping with mental illness. The app, Refresh Wellness, was finished in 2018 and was developed in partnership with Saskatchewan Polytechnic.